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Author Topic: What Should I Do With Swarm?  (Read 3978 times)

Offline abrogard

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What Should I Do With Swarm?
« on: November 10, 2010, 04:26:50 am »

 I know nothing about bees.

 I have the remnants of a swarm. What should I do about them?

 What has happened:

 Yesterday I noticed bees swarming in an old wardrobe standing against the outside wall of my house.

 I lassoed it, toppled it, dragged it away, drenched it with water, knocked it apart, hosed it continually, finished up with masses of dead bees and no wardrobe, thought I was finished.

 Then I found they had swarmed up onto the fascia board below the gutter on the outside of the house.

 Getting late: 6p.m.  Only help I could find was a beekeeper too far away to help personally but he advised me to not hose them until dark, to set off a vermin 'bomb' in the roof space to ensure they wouldn't go in there and then at dark to dress in dark clothes and give them a good hosing and they'd die in the night from exposure.

 He said we couldn't be sure the queen wasn't still there and no beekeeper would want to come help me now because of that.  Pest exterminators about $150 minimum to take a look.

 I got the bomb, set it off, hosed them down repeatedly until dark.

 This morning a small clump.

 Hosed it down.

 It came back.

 Set off a bomb on a chair underneath it - took the kids to school.

 Came back - all gone.

 Later in the day - back again, another small clump.

 Hosed down again today.

 Tonight ( nearly 7p.m. dark in one hour) there's still a smaller clump there.

 Should I stop worrying or what?

 Any comments and advice will be welcome. I'm working in the dark and worried about the kids.

 The friendly beekeeper told me I was lucky not to have gotten stung and it was probably because the bees were swollen with honey and find it hard to sting like that.

 But these residual bees would be living off their honey and as they got slimmer they'd get more aggressive.

 That's all I know.

 A couple of pictures of the scene tonight on my Picasaweb thing:

 Nope. Couldn't add the pics. I"m too new.

 Ah well.  If anyone wants to see a pic of the swarm in order to help please either PM me or post that fact here and I'll put the pics up on a website or something and direct them to it.

 :)




Offline malachii

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2010, 08:19:15 am »
Where are you located? Maybe someone from here might be able to come and help if you live locally.

malachii

Offline AllenF

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2010, 10:08:04 pm »
Why did you want to kill them instead of giving them away?

Offline Kathyp

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2010, 10:43:54 pm »
you might have had people want to help you before you went to all that trouble to kill them.  not worth much now.  why didn't you look for a beekeeper to help you sooner?  lots of us do swarms and we do them for free.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline yantabulla

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2010, 03:37:12 am »
Abrogard   I feel sorry for those poor bees.  If it happens again contact your friendly beekeeper before you poison the bees.

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2010, 07:23:54 am »
I have to agree - my sympathy lies with the bees - sorry - questions should have been asked before all of the drastic actions were taken - you might as well get a flame thrower out and burn them all! much more human than letting them die from cold and exposure

Offline philinacoma

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Re: What Should I Do With Swarm?
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2010, 08:18:37 am »
I am another person who collects swarms and my sympathies are also with the bees.

A swarm collection can take as little as a half an hour to perform. Usually clean and simple. There are beekeepers in most areas who will collect swarms.